Longmont resident rides long distance for mindfulness

The trip from Longmont to Tucson, AZ is nearly a thousand miles. For Curtis Jones it was roughly 260,000 pedal strokes, one after another, across 17 days.

Jones lives in Longmont, but grew up in Tucson. He bought a second house in his home town several years back, which would be his ultimate destination for the trek.

Jones, 64-years-old, started his ride from his house in Old Town Longmont on June 13, with a carefully mapped route to Tucson, AZ that would take him through Parker, Canon City and Salida on his way down through New Mexico and into Arizona. According to Jones, who trained with 60 mile rides, the 70 miles from Longmont to Parker was longer than anything he’d ridden up to that point.

“As long as you keep in shape and stay fit, it’s astounding what you can do as you get older,” Jones said.

For Jones, the cycling tour was an exercise in mindfulness, and of course for the adventure of it. Jones had an experience that shifted his perspective from always worrying about the future to being more centered in the present.

“What better way to learn to live in the now than one pedal stroke at a time,” Jones said. “Worry and anxiety come from thinking about the future, and I didn’t need to think about the future because it didn’t exist yet. That made a world of difference for me.”

This wasn’t Jones’ first long distance ride. When Jones and his best friend graduated from University of Arizona, they knew that life would throw families and jobs into the mix, so they set off on an adventure. The pair took six weeks to cycle from Tucson, AZ to Bangor, ME.

For his trip from Longmont to Tucson, the bike weighed 67 lbs, including the bike frame, water, food and other necessities. Along the way, Jones booked hotel rooms to be able to rest, which added a challenge to reach his destination each day.

The road trip had a few snags. Jones had a blister on his posterior early on but that didn’t slow him down. There were hazards with road closures, an encounter with a storm, dehydration and mechanical issues, but Jones persevered. 

He had help from what he called his angels along the way. One day he ran out of water with miles to go, and a family of Native Americans shared lemonade and water with him. When his bike broke down, he got a ride from a kind stranger to the nearest town with a repair shop. 

Food was one of the few things he didn’t pack along each day. Jones ate at a lot of Mexican restaurants along the way, as well as burger joints. He recalled finding a bakery in Tucson that had salads and rejoiced at a lighter meal.

“I love Mexican food, but when you’ve had it for 12 or 13 days you get sick of it,” Jones said. “I was so happy to have a salad for breakfast.”

The last two days of the trek wouldn’t have been possible without the days that preceded. One day was 93 miles with 6,500 feet of elevation gain. If it hadn’t been for the strength and endurance he’d gained riding the 800 miles before it, Jones said he might not have been able to make the climb. And that day would hold another surprise.

“I was riding along and I see a guy taking a picture of a wildlife crossing sign, and I realized it was my friend I’d taken the previous trip with,” Jones said. “He drove out and surprised me on the road, and we met in town 15 miles later.”

Jones’ friend would join him on that last 15 mile leg into Tucson. According to Jones, another friend met him on the bike path when he was almost at the end to celebrate with him. 

“She looked at me and said ‘You made it,’ and I hadn’t even realized it,” Jones said. “It just kicked in that I was there. I’d made it. It was an emotional moment for me.”

Jones made it to the cul-de-sac with his house in Tucson on June 30. When he turned into the subdivision, he heard all kinds of cheering and music, only to be greeted by twenty of his friends and family, including his 92-year-old father. 

“They were screaming and yelling and playing “Rocky” music, and it was so rewarding,” Jones said. “It didn’t have to happen. Just doing it would have been enough, but it was icing on the cake. It was so cool that my friends were there, it meant so much to me.”

Jones kept posting regularly on his Facebook blog, the Mindfulness Ride, and still updates often. Jones may take the trip again, but there are no definite plans.

“It will be when the inspiration hits me, when I’m ready for it and I need it,” Jones said. “I don’t want to think about it right now, because it's the future.”